BiggerPockets

I have a home under contract, it is an older home and has 3 bedrooms on the top floor which are all rather small. Rather than try and change that floor, which is updated and beautiful, I would like to put a finished master bedroom in the basement, would potential home buyers go for this?

Thanks

Quattro

I pretty much did this in the house we live in now. Not really anything fancy, but its the largest bedroom in the house. I was able to put in three very large windows, and build nice window wells with steps that angle outward using large strip sandstone. We don't use it as the master anymore, but its still a very nice room.

Putting in large windows isn't very difficult. If there are already windows, dig down below them. I rented a backhow, you could hire it out, but running a backhoe for a few days is a blast. Hire a concrete cutter to cut openings below the existing windows. Put in new windows. Viola la, nice light.

I'd think it would be better to have a large master in the basement, with a modern and stylish bathroon, than to just have little bedrooms upstairs.

The only thing I would be certain of would be that the damp was 100% controlled.

The biggest downside to a basement room, IMHO, is the footsteps from above. Really, not just limited to basements, but any room or apartment that has another floor above. Unless you really work on the sound insulation, you'll hear footsteps all the time.

You will have to look at your market. In my market, a master bedroom below grade presents what we appraisers call functional depreciation, that is, a design problem. Assuming your market is similar to mine, you will have to discount your price because the master suite being in the basement. Also, as mentioned before, its very important to do it by the book, and advertise that.